Man sought in Fremont incident arrested in Mass.

FREMONT - A man sought by Fremont police after allegedly leading an officer on a brief chase earlier this month is behind bars in Massachusetts after he was arrested during an altercation with police Monday.

Andrew Decoito, 22, was a passenger in a car when the female driver was pulled over. He was nabbed after allegedly pushing a police officer and trying to run.

Police caught up with Decoito thanks to an alert Georgetown, Mass., police officer who is a former Fremont detective and is familiar with Decoito.

Acting Fremont Police Chief Denny Wood said Adam Raymond, who now works in Georgetown, was listening to his police radio during a midnight shift Monday when he recognized a vehicle and license plate number after it was stopped in Groveland.

Raymond contacted Groveland police and told them Decoito may be a passenger and that Fremont police were looking for him.

Groveland Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Gillen said Officer Heather Riley stopped the car after it was spotted traveling 27 mph in a 40-mph zone and crossed the double yellow line.

He said Decoito, who was a passenger, allegedly provided a false name and became aggressive and began yelling and swearing when he was questioned by police.

Decoito is accused of pushing the officer and trying to run away when he eventually got out of the car. Police used pepper spray to gain control of him, he said.

Decoito was charged with giving a false name, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a police officer.

In Fremont, Decoito is accused of refusing to stop for Fremont police on April 14 and then leading an officer into a wooded area behind his house where police say he got away.

Decoito also faces unrelated charges stemming from a shooting outside his residence at 166 Main St. on Jan. 5.

In that incident, police said Decoito used an AR-15 to fire as many as 30 rounds at a car with a driver and others inside as they were fleeing his residence following an altercation.

Decoito has maintained he was acting in self-defense because he had been assaulted inside his house.

He was arraigned in Haverhill, Mass., District Court on charges related to the Groveland arrest and is being held on $1,000 cash bail in Massachusetts. He is also being held on fugitive from justice charges.

Fremont police plan to charge Decoito with reckless operation, two counts of disobeying a police officer, resisting arrest, failure to yield at a stop sign, driving after revocation or suspension, breach of bail conditions and speeding.

In a phone interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader last week while he was still on the run, Decoito denied he was driving or even in the car when a Fremont officer tried to stop the vehicle for speeding. He said he was babysitting and was out of state at the time.

Wood said Decoito called him on April 19 and discussed turning himself in to police, but had not done so before his arrest Monday. Decoito also told police that he wasn't driving the car that day, but refused to say who was behind the wheel.

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